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Eminem has, perhaps inevitably, lost much of the spite, urgency and savage humour that fuelled his youthful muse

The last major music festivals of the summer season, Reading and its sister event in Leeds have established a musical brand that is more conservative, guitar-heavy and American-dominated than most. Even by its own traditionalist standards, this year’s Reading felt unusually low on spark, partly because of lacklustre sets by the big-name headliners. However there were compensations, not least the best toilets of any British festival, plus a smattering of more interesting acts on the smaller stages.

Among the highlights were the sexy young Harlem-born rapper A$AP Rocky and the agreeably uplifting Las Vegas rockers Imagine Dragons, both of whom